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Well...that's awesome So we just tell them "we're at the group site this weekend" when we arrive at the Gatehouse on Friday (or Saturday)?

Yeah. I don't think they actually man the gatehouse this time of year though. You can either fill out a card there or just stop at the ranger's office.

“I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

Thanks Shug, we'll keep an eye on 'em. Some people say that when the rest of the group hits the rack, if you close your eyes and listen closely, you can hear Hickery floating from treetop to treetop, softly whispering "livermush" into the night sky. Local legend has it that this "ghost of the southern hills" is simply displaying a mating call, and that from time to time, it attracts the "ghost of Minnesota" and his camera to the area.

Well guys, the weather reports from various sites are becoming more and more consistent with each other. Looks like tomorrow is a snow day, with possibly 8 inches total through the early morning hours on Friday. Friday will be cool and clear, at 36 degrees, so some of that snow should stick around until Saturday.

Saturday will be warmish and clear at 48, so the day hike on Saturday should be pretty straightforward, if not a little wet from melting.

Mike
The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps! ~Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945

Here's the latest from the NOAA page, specific for the area around the Wise Shelter:

Thursday Rain before 11am, then snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Temperature falling to around 26 by 5pm. Light northwest wind increasing to 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible.
Thursday Night Snow likely, mainly before 2am. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 17. Blustery, with a northwest wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

So, it looks like the potential amount of snow is significant...9 to 15 inches on the whole! Everyone be careful driving. Doctari, Chickadee, and I are going to leave a couple hours earlier than we had planned, so we can beat this stuff there. Want to hike in it, not drive in it! Hoping to leave by 3 am for an arrival by 10 am. Planning to head to the Wise via the AT. May stop there or go on...I will likely stay there due to my recent illness.

--Scott <><

"I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful... because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience...." --Robert Traver

All geared up & ready to go. I'm up & on the road early, expecting to be at Massie Gap lot around 1:00. Plan is to either meet up with others or if no one is around to hike to Wise on the AT. See you all there. Save ol Rick a couple trees!